AUTHENTIC MATERIALS AND SCAFFOLDING TO PROMOTE

COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Peru TESOL Enrichment ProgramCenter for Language Education and Development, Georgetown

UniversityJanuary 2012

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Curriculum Goals and evidence

• Language skills and knowledge revolve around communicative competence.

• Evidence used to evaluate achievement of these goals also relies on communicative competence.

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Learning experiences

• Objectives based learning, task-based learning, experiential learning all require communicative structures and competence and students’ authentic use of language.

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Learning experiences and scaffolding

• Many, many other communicative activities can be designed as simple “scaffolds” or learning ladders to help students take steps along the way to achieving the larger goals.

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Learning experiences and scaffolding

• Without such communicative scaffolds, students will be unable to achieve the communicative goals

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• Have an authentic purpose

• Focus on a practical task

• Use real language (even if textbook practice precedes the activity)

• Focus on mean and function rather than form

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• Most communicative activities exist outside the parameters of the textbook

• The textbook can provide excellent scaffolding for an activity which then uses the target language in an authentic way

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• In large classes, communicative activities are best accomplished through group work so that the teacher can circulate to hear language output

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• Class surveys • Partner interviews• Language experience approach• Class research grids• Games• Puzzles• Reporting/journalism

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• Role plays• Simulations• Picture stories• Complaints• Character descriptions• Open ended discussions• Policy debates

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative activities

• Choose a curriculum goal for your teaching level.

• Determine the evidence which demonstrates its achievement.

• What types of communicative activities can provide learning experiences that lead to achievement of this goal?

• See Handout 2.

Center for Language Education and Development, Georgetown University

Communicative Activities and Authentic Materials

• Bolstering communicative activities is the use of authentic and non-textbook materials.

• Please see Handout 3.